By Sonny Atumah

Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo a fortnight ago directed International Oil Companies, IOC operating in the Niger Delta to relocate their headquarters to various operational areas to mitigate tension in host communities. He gave the directive at a town meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State as he continued conciliation with stakeholders in the troubled region. He strongly advised the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu to actualise the directive, saying “I think it is the right thing to do.”

Although some commentators view the directive as political wishful thinking, it is possible if the government sets about it with a will. One is vindicated on the relocation thought as captured in Professor Osinbajo’s directive utterance while acting for President Muhammadu Buhari. This column on June 4, 2016 edition with headline: “Development Areas, Not Cannonades” suggested the relocation of IOCs and Niger Delta Ministry headquarters, excerpted below.

Putting the Niger Delta palaver in context, amnesty programme may barely be the lasting solution. The Amnesty programme has developed a lot of human capital in the Niger Delta. The socio-economic implications of this army of occupation (thousands of highly trained professionals), that would be left unemployed after their various programmes both locally and overseas may again be hopelessness, helplessness, and possibly restiveness.

Agitations would stop with integrated and sustainable development programmes that would guarantee employment and improved standard of living to majority of the poverty stricken people, and not a few with more bravado than common sense taken up arms against the state.

Ad hoc programmes of defunct OMPADEC, NDDC and the like have had lackeys appointed heads, with funds for development stolen as theirs to repossess. Let the government reassess and reorganise the current NDDC as a parastatal of the Niger Delta Ministry; the ministry relocated to the Niger Delta to enhance projects and schemes implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Unfortunately too some former state actors including governors from the region have stolen from the people’s tills they held in trust. From the three tiers of government as well as IOCs operations the people have been victims of deprivations. With these failings communities have attitudes of unconcealed disgust from government entreaties for pipelines and other critical infrastructure protection.

Thinking aloud was it not time Oil super majors’ headquarters in then Federal capital Lagos relocated to operational areas to breed corporate social responsibility? In the United States, the three oil super majors have headquarters in host communities as follows: ExxonMobil Irving, Texas; Chevron San Ramon, California; and Conoco Phillips Houston, Texas; and not in Washington DC or New York.

Again with oil and gas deposits along the U.S. Gulf Coast and offshore, refineries and the manufacture of equipment for the oil and gas industry combined with shipping made the Gulf coast the heart of petrochemical industry. The Gulf States of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida developed in aerospace, biomedical research, agriculture and tourism to increase the wealth of the United States.

The Gulf Coast State of Texas (about three quarters the size of Nigeria) has 29 refineries and Louisiana State has 17 refineries. Texas has about 500,000 km of highway; more than any other state in the United States. It has a 20,000 km of railroad track and has 31 airports including 3 international airports. From the Gulf coastline in the southern tip of Texas to the southern reaches of Florida, a distance of 2625 km the intra-coastal waterway connects 9 of the 15 largest ports in the United States to boost commerce.

Most Nigeria ports along the Atlantic coastline are not strong in merchant shipping so need restructuring. Apart from the Lagos ports, Calabar and Onne others are not functional. Delta ports in Warri, Burutu, Sapele, Koko and petroleum terminals in Escravos and Forcados as well as the Port Harcourt port survive on captive cargo; not generating their own cargoes.

The proposed US$10 billion rail project from Lagos to Calabar initiated by the Yar’adua now to be executed by the Buhari administration is commendable. Along this coastal corridor building refineries and petrochemical plants can merge development areas into conurbations’ to stimulate growth and development in the Delta and Nigeria.

These are serious developmental problems begging for unpretentious solutions. The genuine conciliation we fail to have today would be the assaults and wanton destruction of tomorrow. For how long do we call our gallant men and women in uniform against insurrectional actions: North east, Fulani herdsmen and Niger Delta militias? Let there be strategic thinking for concerted development in our land. Let Nigeria be!